Chinese Mother Goose rhymes;

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The Most Fascinating
Mother Goose Booh
of the Centura

CHINESE

GOO
RHYMES

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156 FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK.

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Presented by

Digitized by the Internet Archive

in 2007 with funding from

Microsoft Corporation

http://www.archive.org/details/chinesemothergooOOhead

CHINESE MOTHER
GOOSE RHY M E S

LITTLE ORIENTALS

Chinese Mother
Goose Rhymes

TRANSLATED

AND

ILLUSTRATED

BY

ISAAC TAYLOR HEADLAND

OF PEKING UNIVERSITY.

Fleming H. Revell Company
New York Chicago Toronto

CoPVMGtfT, I9<X»

F.eining H. Revell Company

Cl

PROPERTY OF THE . Q«iu*o*
3HT OF NEW YORK Tc^^H^0^

PREFACE

There are probably more nursery rhymes in
China than can be found in England and
America. We have in our possession more than six
hundred, collected, for the most part, in two out of
the eighteen provinces, and we have no reason to
believe that we have succeeded in getting any large
proportion of what those two provinces contain.

In most of the rhymes there are features common
to those of our own " Mother Goose," among which
are those referring (i) to insects, (2} animals, (3)
birds, (4) persons, (5) children, (6) food, (7) parts
of the body, (8) actions, such as patting, grabbing,
tickling, etc., (9) professions, trades and business.

We have tried .0 reproduce the meaning of the
original as nearly as possible; this has not
always been an easy task. Let it be understood
that these rhymes make no pretentions to literary
merit, nor has the translator made any attempt at
regularity in the meter, because neither the original
nor our own "Mother Goose" is regular. Our
desire has been to make a translation which is fairly
true to the original, and which will please English-
speaking children. The child, not the critic, has
always been kept in view.

Attention is called to the affection manifested

I 1584

in such rhymes as "Sweeter than Sugar," "Sweet
Pill," "Little Fat Boy," and "Baby is Sleep-
ing." There is no language in the world, we
venture to believe, which contains children's songs
expressive of more keen and tender affection than
those we have mentioned. This fact, more than any
other, has stimulated us in the preparation of these
rhymes. They have been prepared with the hope
that they will present a new phase of Chinese home
life, and lead the children of the West to have
some measure of sympathy and affection for the
children of the East.

The compilation was much facilitated by the
work done by Baron Vitali, of the Italian Legation
in Peking; Rev. Arthur H. Smith, author of
"Chinese Characteristics;" Miss Mabel Whiting, of
Peking; Miss Mitchell, of Chinkiang; Mrs.
McClure, of Honan; Miss Chalfant, of Shantung;
Mr. Chao Tsz-chi, Chinese Consul at New York ;
Mr. Yamamoto, of Peking, and Rev. Chauncy
Goodrich, of T'ung Chou, while the entire work
is due to the fact that our attention was called by
Mrs. C. H. Fenn, of Peking, to her old nurse
repeating these rhymes to her little boy.

The illustrations have all been prepared by the
translator specially for this work.

I. T. H.

October, 1900

M

Y little baby, little boy blue,
Is as sweet as sugar and cin-
namon too;

Isn't this precious darling of ours
Sweeter than dates and cinnamon
flowers?

Atq

35.

LITTLE
SMALL-
FEET

&i

HE small-footed girl
With the sweet little smile,

She loves to cat sugar
And sweets all the while.
Her money's all gone
And because she can't buy,
She holds her small feet
While she sits down to cry.

N the top of a mountain
A hemp stock was growing,

And up it a cricket was climbing.
%

& &. % % l Said t0 him'

4

"Cricket,

%

** *** Oh where are you
J X

3 "

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THE

BUTTERFLY

WAY goes the butterfly,
To catch it I will never try;

The butterfly's about to 'light,
I would not have it if I might.

OF WHAT USE IS A GIRL?

E keep a dog to watch the house,
A pig is useful, too;
We keep a cat to catch a mouse,
But what can we do
With a girl like you ?

n

Your father and mother
Are waiting here still;
They've brought you some sugar,
6& ^ <& ^ Some candy and meat,

** 4L •>* 5L Come T110^ or ! 1!

JIT :#% ^ A give it

£, A ATo bab to cat>
4w >c ;

COME

AND

PLAY

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IL

ITTLE baby, full of glee,

Won't you come and play
with me ?

Strike the stick and kick the ball,

And at the pic-nic place we'll call.

And you shall come and eat with me^

And you shall come and drink my tea.

— -j When I invite you

thus to play,

How is it that you
run away?

»3

M

THE COW %.*%!

ERE S a cow ^- y. ^ st%
on the mountain*,' -* -^n ^ -^
The old saying goes,

On her legs arc lour feet;

On her feet arc eight toes;
Her tail is behind

On the end of her hack,
And her head is in front

14

^* *l-f *U*

GRANDPA
FEEDS BABY

RANDPA holds the baby,
He's sitting on his knee

Eating mutton dumplings
With vinegar and tea.
Then grandpa says to baby,
"When you have had enough,
You'll be a saucy baby
And treat your grandpa rough."

'5

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SWEET
PILL

V big son,

My own boy,
Baby is a sweet pill

That fills my soul with joy.

16

THE BAT

AT, bat, with your flowered

shoes,

Come to us here in the room,
This little girl will be the bride,

And I

will be

the g

room.

t

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^ 4^ ^ .£*

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THE LITTLE BALDHEAD

iJ

OU dear little baby,
Don't you cry;
Your father's drawing water

In the south, near by,
A red tasseled hat

He wears on his head;

18

Your mother's in the kitchen

Making up bread.
Walk a step, walk a step,

Off he goes,
See from his shoe-tips

Peep three toes.

»9

A

LITTL1
GIRL'S
WANTS

n

a^

&

WANT some thread,

, Both green and red:
^ \ Jl $x 1 want a needle long;

fi .it i\ *F

^b >V ^ a*. I want some strands
*& ■%* tor ankle bands,

^ SL

To give to Mrs. Wang.

? SL

GO TO
SLEEP

W^\

HE tree leaves are murmur-
ing hua-la-la,

Baby's very sleepv and wants his

mama;

Go to sleep, my baby, and then
go to bed,

And any bogie-boo that comes,

I'll knock him on the head.

.e

21

--<— » -%a

&

THE
TALL

MAN

*• %-< .

o

H dear! oh dear! just see how
far

His head is from his feet!
So far indeed he has to bend
When e'er he wants to eat.

And when he wants to fight a man

He lifts him up anon,
And when he wants to wash his face

He pours the water on.

22

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BABY IS SLEEPING

Y baby is sleeping,
My baby's asleep,
My flower is resting,
I'll give you a peep;
How cunning he looks
As he rests on my arm!
My flower's most charmin
Of all them that charm.

23

T

T

L

E

T

B

O

Y

HAT a bonnie little fellow is this
fat boy of mine!
He makes people die of joy!
What a fine little fellow is this fat boy
of mine!
Now whose is this loving little boy?

24

Do you want to buy a beauty ?

Do you want to buy a beauty ?

If you buy him he will watch your house,

And do it as his duty.

And no matter as to servants,

You may have them or may not,

But you'll never need to lock your door
Or give your house a thought.

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25

THE

DRUM

ON

THE

GROUND

Xj

HE drum on the ground is so
round, so round,

My mother just whipped me so sound,

so sound,
And I, oh dear, am as floating grass

here,
But I'll only remain a year, a year.

16

A husband I'd love and serve so

true,
I'd worship his gods, that's what

I'd do,
And I'd call his mother my mother,

too!

You naughty girl, what's that you'd
do?

1 was saying the beans are boiling

nice,
And its just about time to add the

rice.

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3 tt ^ & 7> £

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27

MILKY WAY

HEN e're the Milky Way you spy
Diagonal across the sky,
The egg-plant you may safely eat,
And all your friends to melons treat.
But when divided toward the west,
You'll need your trousers and your vest;
When like a horn you see it float,
You'll need your trousers and your coat.

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A LULLABY

L~— i i— J

HE heaven is bright,
The earth is bright,

pna

1 have a baby who cries all night;
Let those who pass read what I write,

And they'll sleep all night,

Till broad daylight.

zy

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if £ «

-* * 1 1J

THE
SMALL
STORE
KEEPER

WEE little boy
Has opened a store,

In two equal parts
Arc his front door,

A wee little table,
A wee little chair,

And ebony chop -sticks
And plate are there.

3°

Fly to the mountain,
And feed upon dew,

Feed upon dew

And sleep on a rug,

And then run away

Like a good little bug.

3»

21 £

£, ifc * *fr £

1^^ tf * tf

^ t f -* 5 £

GO TO BED

ITTLE baby, go to bed,
We'll put a hoop around your
head,
And with the oil we get thereby,
Our little bean-cake we will fry.

And when we've fried our bean-cake

brown,
We'll see the king go into town,
An iron cap upon his head;
Now - you - must - surely - go - to - bed.

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A

THE

NERVOUS

MAN

NERVOUS disposition
He had when he was born,
To hurry to a fair one day,

He rose at early morn;
Put on his wife's green trousers

And started to the sale,
A riding on a donkey —

His face turned toward its tail.

33

H
E

N

A
I

L

ITTLE snail, little snail,
With your hard, stony bed,

First stick out your horns,
Then stick out your head.

Your father and mother

Have brought you some food,
Fried liver and mutton,
Now isn't that good?

34

And now, little snail,
Just as sure as I say

You must eat it at once,
Or I'll take it away.

Oh where is the little snail gone, I
pray tell ?

He has drawn himself up, head and
horns, in his shell.

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35

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I ^ f 4

THE WATERMAN

Y brother waterman,
Listen, I request,

On the south river bank

You sit and rest.
When the day is bright,

You carry all you can;
And when the day is dark,

You're a lazy old man.
■

36

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4k4 ■>$>- %

f55"

m

T jumped the
chequered wall,

The bleating little lamb,

And snatched a bunch of grass

To feed its hungry dam.

OLD CHANG, THE CRAB

LD Mr. Chang, I've oft heard
it said,

You wear a basket upon your head;

You've two pairs of scissors to cut
your meat, *+ ^- -*- \

K / . cfe t * %

And two pairs or * ji. fHH ZfL
chopsticks with _^ <~ ^j. »,
which you eat. Mk .^ A*

37

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fUl

Lni

THE
MOUSE

E climbed up the candlestick,
The little mousey brown,

To steal and eat tallow,

And he couldn't get down.

He called for his grandma,

But his grandma was in town,

So he doubled up into a wheel
And rolled himself down.

38

$\ *£ $ $\

4f

COMING
FROM
THE FAIR

OMING from the fair!
Coming from the fair!

We bought a little bottle
For our baby over there;
Alas! for we broke it,
And we tried to buy another,
But the shops were all closed,
So we hurried home to mother.

39

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WHAT THE OLD COW SAID

SAD old cow to herself once said,
While the north wind whistled
through her shed:
"To head a drum they will take my skin,
And they'll file my bones for a big hair-
pin,
The scraps of bone they will make into

dice,
And sell them off at a very low price;
My sinews they'll make into whips, I wot,
And my flesh they'll put in a big soup

A. "

pot.

3 . *

* • *■ -

4o

&& At % J£ %

WHAT THE OLD CROW SAID

N old black crow sat on a tree,
And there he sat and said to me:

"Ho, Mr. Wang, there's a sheep on

the hill,
Which I wish very much you would

catch and kill;
You may eat meat three times a day,
And I'll eat the parts that, you throw

away."

A « j

4»

fe & BEANS

JS- &t & IrgvlULL up your black
^- % '* il beans,

s ^ ja. L±± — I '

&% Pull up your brown,

Then light your lamp

When the sun goes down.

^

7

THE SLOVENLY BOY

44

F you wear your

lat on the side
of your head,
^§" rf- You'll have a lazy wife

V'CJ

<^ jT tis said,

If a slouchy coat and slipshod feet,
You'll have a wife who loves to eat.

GRAB THE KNEE

NE grab silver,
Two grabs gold,

o

Three, don't laugh
And you'll grow old.

42

o

^

THE
PAGODA

\&&

HE dragon
pagoda,

It touches the
sky,

The dragon pa-
goda,

Thirteen stories
high.

P""^

43

IKK a little withered flower,
That is dying in the earth,

I am left alone at seven,

By her who gave me birth.

With my papa I was happy,

Hut I feared he'd take another,

And now my papa's married,
And I have a little brother.

44

And he eats good food,
While I eat poor,

And cry for my mother^
Whom V\ see no more.

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45

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MIXED

UST outside my aoor, 1 heard
someone say,
A man bit a dog in a dangerous way;
Such a message I n'er for a moment

could stand,
So I took up the door and I opened

my hand,
I snatched up the dog I should say

double-quick
And threw him with all of my force

at a brick;
The brick — I'm afraid you will not

understand —
I found in a moment had bitten my hand;
I mounted a chair, on a horse I was

borne,
I blew on a drum, and I beat on a horn.

46

THE
LITTLE
GIRL'S
DREAM

-J"

HERE was a little girl
and she dreamed,
folks say,

That her future mother-in-law
came one day,

*}- And gold and plated
<ki presents brought,

4%: ~Mfc And a flowered

^ T gown and em-
broidered coat.

S
^

4- 1

c->

4#r

-F

47

M <& M Ju

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& A * f

# *, .* «

PAT A CAKE

AT a cake, pat a cake,
Little girl fair,
There's a priest in the temple
Without any hair.

Yon take a tile,

And I'll take a brick,
And we'll hit the priest

In the back of the neck.

48

fljfuuinligMfr

^

4 SL *% 46

ik

THE

GREAT

WALL

HE wily Emperor, Ch'inShih Huang,
He built a wall both great and strong;
The steps were narrow, but the wall was
stout,
So it kept the troublesome Tartars out.

49

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ft «* -* 5 ^ JL

A DILEMMA

ARD worm beans

Without any bother,
A wife he has married

And doesn't want his mother.
He must leave his mother,

Or quarrel with his wife,
And thus they are separated

All their life.

-E

5°

CRUEL

LITTLE

GLUTTON

TUT

InJ

E ate too much,

That second brother,
And when he had eaten
He beat his mother.

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UNFORTUNATE

TUT?

Irrl

E pulled up the wick

With the candlestick
knife,

And found he had married

A bald-headed wife.

Her eyes were askew,

And her mouth was awry,

And the silly old fellow
Was so mad he could cry.

52

HkM 3'n iff
»$ if, 4$ *&

THE
BRIDE

NEWLY made kettle is
bright,

A newly bought pig is a bother,

A new married wife will not eat,

But cries and thinks of her
mother.

53

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A BAD BOY

HERE was a little fellow,

Who was mischievous, they
say,

They sent him to the melon-patch

To watch it all the dav.
They told him he must stay there

Till the melons all were white,
And not come home to mama,

Not even in the night.

' » i —

54

T

•b

&

THE
CROWS

L

OOK at the white-breasted
crows overhead!

My rather shot once, and ten crows

tumbled dead.
When boiled or when fried, they taste

very good,
But skin them, I tell you, there's no

better food.

55

FRIENDS OF THE HOUSE

3HE thieving old magpie
has taken our food,

The chicken eats millet as if it
were good,

The faithful old watch-dog looks
after the house,

And the cat has come over to
catch us a mouse.

56

S the sun came up, a ball of
red,

My teacher rode on his horse ahead,

While I followed close on my dragon
steed,

A i$ 4% ^ He by

M if # * the street

M. M & 7

-it, ^ .% *-
*- J» A 1

± Ak j& M

and I by

the mead.

57

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BUMP

UMPbump,
go away,

D
D

A RIDDLE

A

Do not let our mama see;
If she sees you on baby's head,
She'll give no money for nurse's bread,

PLUM blossom foot,
And a pudding face
sweet,
He's taller when he's sit-
ting
Than when standing on

it 4 # Jit his feet'

% ** #r •?

S«

Three years I have not seen him,
And he's grown so very tall.

My horse he can ride,
My knife he can take,

Can shoulder up my kneading board
And help me sell my cake.

.*.

59

THE

UN-
GRATE-
FUL
SON

3HF tail of one magpie's as long
as another,

He married a wife and he gave up his

mother,
When asked by his mother to bny her

some cake,
He wanted to know how much money

'twould take-
When his wife wanted pears he saddled

his beast,

60

And started to market to buy her a

feast;
He took off the peeling with very

great airs,
And asked her politely to have a few

pears.

fr 4: A -*£&•** *£ 1

DEBTOR

4&

^ ^'

ME magpie sells his 4^ ^ ^

bean-curd dear. ^ ^ 4\, j^

you owe me, w. A^ ^

Then you I would see f\ ^ $X -*->
On just five days from the
end of the year.

6i

Is jumping
around,
On his head is a candlestick

Weighing a pound;
He is able to play

All the nine kinds of tricks,
From the bell and the foot-ball
To wood-ball and sticks.

62

4r & &

-£■ 4* 4t £. & **

THE if ■*» 4 jS "& ** 5

RICE g ^ *. 1 £ S *
SELLER "t f Jit * 5 2

OMEONE is knocking loud at
the door,

The dog is making a great uproar;
Now I inquire, who can it be?
'Tis only a donkey-man 1 see,
Calling out at the top of his voice:
Here's the place to get your rice,

Coarse rice or fine,

Just to your mind,

Rice in the husk,

Or cleaned by the wind.

64

n

CHICKEN SKIN

WENT ten steps outside the
gate,

Which brought me to the ditches,
And there I found some chicken skin,

To mend my leather breeches;
If there had been ^ ^ ^ ^ ft
no chicken skin, ^ -jr Jt -j ^
I could not mend -*$i ^. z&- /.£[ ~

my trousers thin.

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A. ■»

65

p\ % M

JjL i& 1&. GRINDING FLOUR

E push the mill,
The flour we make,

And then for grandma
A cake we'll bake.

THE FARMER'S GUIDE

N Spring, plant the
turnip,

In summer, the beet,

When harvest is over, £& -t

We sow the buck- Jf^JsL & ^
wheat.

Jj^%^&- *

66

E pull the big saw,
We push the big saw,

To saw up the wood,
To build us a house,

In order that baby

Ok- «l n w

May

3 *~ K

Mr M. **

have

fOO<

spouse.

67

THE

DOCTOR'S
PRE-
SCRIP-
TION

PURSE, a purse, for better or
worse.

Indeed, would you know it, I've mar-
ried a purse.

My wife's little daughter once fell
very ill,

And we called for a doctor to give her
a pill;

dm

68

He wrote a prescription which now we
will give her,

In which he has ordered a mosquito's

liver,

A.nd then in addition the heart of a
flea,

And half pound of fly wings to make
her some tea.

M. <4 W

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4H ^ *£• £,

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F=^

e9

LITTLE
BOUND
FEET

i

HERE was a little girl,
Who would run upon
the street,
She took rice and changed it
For good things to eat.

Her mother lost control of her
Until she bound her feet,

But now she's just as good a girl
As you will ever meet.

JS

70

He opened up a stall,
But had to sell his trousers
To get the capital.

71

r

HERE were two little sisters went
walking one day,
Partly for exercise — partly for play,
Their kites they took with them they

wanted to fly,
Were a big centipede and a big butterfly;
In a very few moments they floated up
high,

m * * i? * 2 -*** trn

4&- ^

-it

^

^ 4 4*

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A.

that

seemed to
be touch-
ing the sky.

72

WHAT IS IT?

n

T has both nose and eyes,

But it has not breathed
since birth,

It cannot go to heaven,

And it will not stay on earth.

f x * f

73

m A & 4 YEL

% i "5 * LOW

4L «*) %- -ft DOG
Ml

ELLOW dog, yel-
low dog,

¥

You stay and watch,
While I gather roses
In the south rose-patch.

GET UP

HE day has come,
I hear the cock;

T

Get vip and
dress,

'Tis six

o'clock.

A.

fL *»

iL ^

74

£

THE BALD OLD WOMAN

N the top of the mount,
By the road, on a stone-
Or a big pile of bricks-
Sat a bald-headed crone.

On her head were three hairs,
Which you'll reckon were thin,

In which she was trying
To wear a jade pin.

She put it in once,

But once it fell out;
She put it in twice,

But twice it fell out.

But the old woman said,
"I know what I'm about,

I'll not put it in

And it cannot fall out."

75

THE

CLOTHES

VENDER

HILE out selling clothes,
As our uncle must do,

He married a wife

Who is aunt to us two.

w »,*■ ' *l She loves to eat cake,

m *£> 4% I

6&-3L J; # one

^T # -M*% For brother and me.

^ *i As you'll readily see,

For she's left but a half

76

-t -£

-4"

MAMA'S
BOY

D

O not fear, do not fear,

We'll put the pants on
mama's dear.

Do not cry, do not cry,

We'll put the coat on mama's
boy.

WllllljifijfBTj

77

THE

CAKE

SELLER

tZL

OUND bean cakes with red
spots bright,

The blind who eat them receive their
sight;

They cure the deaf and neal the
lame,

And preserve the teeth of the aged
dame.

78

The bald who eat them grow a cue,

And the priest can read his bible
through,

They help the Taoist a seat to take.

Their virtues are many — buy my

cake.

The man who eats fears not his wife,

And the woman works better all her
life.

^

4g >V *. •*

#. ;& 4i ^

rii'i 'i ' i ' rn^t^

THE
SPIDER

i

H, my dear brother spider,

With your stomach big
and red,

From the eaves you are hanging

On a single little thread.

80

THE

SMALL

PUG

DOG

}& A X J?4 ^

51*

^ >Ci *|L ^

HE small pug dog,
It jumped over there;

It has no tail,

And it has no hair.

It never will bark,
If a stranger come,

But runs here and there
Like a dog that is dumb.

[^

HE little boy,

He bought some oil,
But fell and spilled it
On the soil.

His mother said:
4R. 4h iif £° You careless lad,

I'll box your ears,

& *k K> % Because

y

ou re

bad.

82

BIG, dead snake is lying
there.

It has no ears and it has no hair;
I breathe on it some magic air,

fe T *> A And xt

lives
and is

running

everywhere.

— A. * —

83

RJDK
A

COCK
HORSE

P you go,

Down you see,
Granny's come

To pour the tea;
The tea is sweet,

The wine is too;
There are eighteen camels

With clothes for you,
The clothes are heavy,

And the dragon-fly

84

Has spurted water

On your ankle-tie.
Sister, sister,

Stop your fuss,
To-morrow the cart

Will come for us;
What cart, you ask,

The cart, of course,
With large, red wheels,

And a big, white horse;
And in it a beautiful girl, I note,
With a squirrel cloak and an otter coat,
Her betel-nut bag is a needle-worked

charm,
And the stem of her pipe is as long
as your arm.

Umi >*. t. ** -4 •■» •* '% &-& + 4-<k*

<M -? ML*$ &'M %>-&& ff * '*+> %

H

#--»y-

tc a

85

And we'll use a golden whip
If the horse doesn't go.

86

A little gold fish

In a gold bowl, we see,
And a gold colored bird

On a gold blossomed tree.

A gold plated god

In a gold temple stands,
With a gold plated baby

In her gold plated hands.

5 2 ^

1 m m

4-

tufj ijui.iilnirrf

87

^ ^ ^ -^

A RIDDLE

S

COCK'S comb flower he wears
on his head.

For his clothes he needs neither thim-
ble nor thread;

Though you be a great man, I'd have
you know,

Ten thousand doors would open if he
should crow.

88

4 4t & >]

Ah ^

j&

THE
BRIDE

HE moon shines bright,
The moon shines iair,
The girl wants wedding gifts to wear
in her hair;
A few blocks of powder,
Some incense tips,
And two hundred rouge-pads to paint
cheeks and lips.

89

POUND

ING

RICE

j-j^TIOUND, pound,
^ I Pound the rice,
The pestle goes up

and down so nice,
Open the pot,
The fire is hot,
4& $*\ %i$L And if you don't eat

* 3 ML ru

*b&>ML feed

&* Jt £

4* j|L

y<

rice.

9o

RS. Chang, Mrs. Lee,

Mama has a small
baby;

"5 -£ *£ *" S^nds up firm,
i ii ^ ***$ Sits up straight,
^ pf **" -? Won't eat milk,
^ J^ 2$l ^ ^ut ^ves on ca^e.

9«

BEAN SPROUTS

OOD bean sprouts,
The water drop-
ping out;
Where's the wife that dares to drive
her husband's father out?
He'd take up a stick,
And hit her a lick,
And she could only shake her sleeve
and run off quick.

92

THE

LITTLE

GIRL

HE little
girl
Sits on the

stool,
And sews the shoe
And beats the sole.

VISITORS

HE wolt has come,
The tiger has come,
The old priest follows,
Beating a drum.

93

SHOE-
MAKER

E stitches the heel,

And he stitches the sole,

Two measures of millet

he gets for the whole;

They steam it, or fry it,

When hungry they feel,

And he eats with his mother

a very good meal.

fltHIIIIIJl

94

$u <5J :« <U

-j A il i-

-& if "J ^

- f ^ f

TWO
WONDERS

|

,.r^

H

9

:''

11

LL come and seel
All come and see!

A black hen laid a white egg for me!

Oh, look there!

Oh, look there!
A great, big rat all covered with hair!

95

pom

"*£ jpG &

Ml

*£,

DO AS YOU OUGHT

EN the first month,
when it is night,
If you are wise,

your lamp you'll light;
And when the second

month you meet,
If you are hungry

you should eat;
And in the third month

most of all,
To build a house

you must lay a wall.

96

-g==?

MY NEPHEW

Y nephew
is a naugh-
ty boy,
He comes here

every day, He eats until he's very full,
And then he runs away.

red pepper flower,
Ling, ling, ling,
Mama will listen
And baby

will sin

^5 *$ #»

M ^ #

% *

RED PEPPER
FLOWER

/A

97

going
up hill,

A donkey on the street,

Or a horse coming down hill

You
never
ought
to beat.

if tt ft «5
4& -f

98

^ ^ 4& ^ *

f ^

j. -$* -^ -#

FLOWER
POT

WEE little flower-pot, very deep
green,
With just the sweetest flowers that ever

were seen;
Mother with her babies playing very

funny,
Father doing business, making lots of

money,
Grandpa very old, but never going to die,
Grandmajust as bright as a star in the sky.

■ *

99

%> & a *l <*£ ^- 4

<* 4ft ^ ~ ;fc#

4

A NEW BABY

gilt-wood mace,
And silvered things,

My grandfather plays,

And grandmother sings;

My grandmother sings till broad daylight,

And a baby comes to our home at night;

They place the child by the pot on the
ground,

And it eats rice soup with a sucking
sound.

IOO

THE DEAD CICADA

UpiHE rain has come
11 And has overflowed,

The dew and the frost
Are on the road.

The last of the grass
Has drooped its head,

^ s»% M M. " - - The ,

&*$ ^s4444 clcada .
*JL$ %% ** &&■ lsonlt'

J^ 4j *M~ M* Frozen dead.

IOI

BROTHER WANTS FRUIT

Y dear little brother,

Is fat and is round,

A bracelet he wears on his arm,

A red chest protector,

A green pair of pants,

Keep him neither too cool nor
too warm.

g*""8^

I02

A small tuft of hair

On the side of his head,

In his cheeks dainty dimples that
suit;

When he toddles he trembles,

To sister he says:

■'Turn an' buy itty bothy some Puit."

%£ if

»

D

,3^

4

1

4% 4

36 &

-3- H,

103

*

1

:£

aft ^ 3 jj*
it- rff *i f

THE
OLD
WOMAN

HERE was an old woman,
As I have heard tell,
She went to sell pie,

But her pie would not sell.

She hurried back home,

But her door-step was high,

And she stumbled and fell
And a dog ate her pie.

104

FROGGIE

ROGGIE, old froggie,
Come over to me;

You'll never go back

To your home in the sea.

You're an idle old croker

As ever I saw,
And if not calling papa,

You're calling mama.

■

>°5

«°I°",B*1

*

THE LAZY WOMAN

s

[j.

HE lazy woman

She sweeps the
floor,

And leaves the dirt

Inside the door.

She cooks her rice
In a dirty pot,

And sleeps at night
On an old straw cot.

1 06

THE TIDY WOMAN

T~HE tidy woman
Is always clean.
No dirt in her home
Is ever seen.

Her food is fit

For a king to eat,
And her hair and clothes

Are

always

neat.

it ^ 4 ft

m

107

0

E NI ME NI MI NI MO

NE, two, three, and an old cow's
eye,

When a cow's eye's blind she'll surely
die;

A piece of skin and a melon, too,

vL% 7" ^ ^ ^ you have money
««*** T'11 11 ,

B«'dl£* IU sel1 to y°u'

£ %& % But if you're without,

"J i ^ * t'11

ii^a 1U Put y°u out-

/^t

^
^

108

E

OU

strike
three times
on the top,
you see, |

And strike three times on the bottom
for me,

Then top and bottom you strike very
fast,

r# pfy ~F ^ And open

fj\ i*y *f ^ a door in

\% ~~ * t'ie middle

j^ ^r * ii at last.

#t £r i& it

109

TEN
FINGERS

HREE horses are drinking,

^^™* Three horses are feeding,

woman

plead-

er

The two men are fighting,
* j? * i The old

& i~ if «t

-^ ^^ * But no one is heeding.

4i4s

*t

/rnjiiijiTt

FACE
GAME

K

NOCK

at the
door,

See a face,

Smell an odor,

Hear a voice,

Eat your dinner,

j^wf -«? *qIRJ|

P9KJI

K$*

VWe^

»■,

■ ■

K^-* ■

Pull your chin, or

*L *> fL # #->^ ?1

Ke chih,

ke chih.

in

r

LOWERS for sale,
Flowers for sale.

'£j| % JL |L Come, buy my flowers,

Before they get stale.

JL

MAKING A FLOWER POT

OU first cross over and then
cross back,
And step in the well as you cross

the track,
And then there is some-
thing else you do,

Oh, yes, you make a

flowT M *~ -*- *
po' *ii*-JL

too. ' x. a .

1 £

112

WATER-
ING
THE
ELOW-
ERS

n water the flowers, I water the flowers,
I water them morning and evening
hours,
I never wait till the flowers are dry,
1 water them e'er the sun is high;
A basin of water, a basin of tea,
$[ •— j4t — /& ijr I water the flowers, they're
*%r &^0 % * jfa op'ning, you see;

IT i 7T _ M tt*L> A basm or water, another
J^®-^ &fc19 beside,

^ ^fo^ifcj? I water the flowers, they're

opening wide.

"3

BALD HEAD LEE

HERE once was a bald-head,
his name it was Lee,

No one ever burned

so much incense as he;

Now, people burn incense

to get them an heir,

But baldy burned incense

to get him some hair.

When he found in three days

all his hair had returned,

He the god gave a coat

and more incense he burned;

* » *

114

When he found in three days

all his hair had dropped out,

He upset the god

and he kicked him about.

Then the god became angry

and took up a sword,

And made into dippers

that bald-headed gourd.

#1 3?\ JL &\ 3l> ^ ** %

^ ^ 41- ju ^ A | *

# #*&-£- -ft. & 3 •**

j. £, -df ^ -3

%

"5

2- J£ JL £

J$^ j£

S^ %

THE

KING

WILL

WANT
YOU

HEN the leaves are
green,
And full of life,
The king will want you
Eor his wife.

When the leaves are yellow
From time and tide,

The king will want you
Eor his bride.

116

5

DON'T
STEAL

hi

F you steal a needle,
Or steal a thread,

^ /x^ S<* f^ A Pimple will grow
A$\ y/^ 4*$\ -^ Upon your head;

i-i & it % if ,1 a

*y *\ * If you steal a dog

f & *Mi Or steal a cat,

^^ ■ j> A pimple will grow

$£ ^ <4\ ^ Beneath your hat.

117

/A

THE SHREW

LL over the ground

the old black woman rolled,

And for not buying powder

her husband did scold;

He bought her some powder,

which she would not use,

And for not buying hemp

him she'd soundly abuse;

He bought her some hemp,

but she only got worse,

And scolded because

he had not bought a horse;

He bought her a horse

but she never would feed it,

- ■ ■ — —

118

And scolded because 'twas

a clothes-press she needed;

He bought her a clothes-press,

but nothing she packed,

And scolded because

'twas a rope that she lacked;

He bought her a rope

and she hung herself dead,

And frightened her husband

near out of his head.

% too % w*

"4 I * T *X 1 % %

^*^*^f^\%

i^**t *****
I If *u*.

"9

He went

to the
fair,
He picked up a turnip

And thought it was a

& ^ ik- fo pcar.

« • ^c too's a k'g bite,

^ Mt ^3 **■ But found ic was t>it-

1 3 -#j£_ &i "*£— And, oh, what a pity,
1 &] lb 3k He threw it in the
^ ™ gutter.

I 20

THE
BLIND

MAN

©

LD Mr. blind man, come here quick,
I see you carry a feeling- stick;
To the river side you take your way,
<^ #^L 3^L #4r And feed the froggies
4& &!k &\ ^ every day;

^ "*" ^ i|F A frog, one day, stuck
Iff If out his head,

jfi fk ifc 'j^ And bit your toe, IVe
i^» heard it said.

121

A
TRAGEDY

IN

THREE

ACTS

SMALL boy
came from the
south of the farm,
With a bamboo basket upon his arm,
With mutton bones was the basket

filled,
From a sheep which his folks that
day had killed.

A monkey came from a pile of stones
To steal that boy's fresh mutton
bones.

£=

122

But a big, spotted dog followed close
at his heels,

To bite a bad monkey whenever he
steals.

A half of a brick lay there on the

road,
It upset the boy and he spilt out

his load,
The dog bit the monkey, the monkey

ran away,
The boy broke his basket and cried

all day.

1*-

123

PULLING THE SAW
E pull the bij

saw,
And we push it out straight,
There's a Punch and a Judy
*^4#-££ ^£ At grandmother's gate,
*^-^&-^t j^ Our sisters and brothers
ajH^ ^ 4& Invite to the show,
i *% 4^ And all of us, even
J&ns l The baby, shall go.

124

T" ii^o '"

THISTLE-

SEED

■

THISTLE-SEED, thistle-seed,
Fly away, fly,
The hair on your body

&§ ^1 *f ;£ Will take you up high;

s £ & <^ Let the wind whirl you

-^ til ^ *%L Around and around,

^ ^ T ^ You'll not hurt yourself

•i'^ V& ^ j£v When you fall to the

^ ^ ^ fl ground.

4£ £ JU

125

THE LITTLE STUDENT

HILE raking the hay on the
mountain,
A student came riding along,
He was riding a dapple- gray pony,
And singing a scrap of a song.

To the home of his bride he was

going>
But her father and mother were out,

1 26

And he saw, as he pushed the door

open,
The girl he was thinking about.

Her cheeks were as pink as a rose-
bud,
Her teeth were as white as a pearl,
Her lips were as red as a cherry,
Most truly a beautiful girl.

■*■ #f 0 t% £- •% £~&

& u f i * 5L * **

4g_ 4t. ^G ^ ,i- • 4

127

THE
FIVE
FINGERS

GREAT big brother,
And a little brother, so,
A big bell tower,

And a temple and a show,
And little baby wee wee,
Always wants to go.

& * it # ^ A

A-** -%&£-%

128

Li ii 4. it THE FIVE FINGERS
4® 41) W lil)

4t '

4$

x^

HIS one's old,
his one's young,

^ "* *£j ^fj This one has no meat,
-y* *^ This one's gone

To buy some hay>
And this one's on the street.

OLD MOTHER WIND

LD Mother Wind
Come this way,
And make our baby
Cool to-day. WASH

ASH vour face

o

$riL * \k

your race, you
little tease,
4& 5$b-|LMiAnd you'll be free from all
.% itfcffc disease;

X fe. Wash your head, your face,
%* & and throat,

1Mi *f

And you shall have a red silk
coat.

1 29

EIGHT BALD-HEADS

BALD-HEAD is sick,
And the second's afraid,
The third calls a doctor,
The fourth gives him aid.

By the fifth he is borne,
By the sixth he is buried,

The seventh comes crying
Because he is worried.

130

When asked by an eighth,
Why it was that he cried,

He said, "In my home,
A dear bald-head has died/5

Come, bury him quickly,
1 tear a great hoard

Of the seeds of his spirit
Will spring from his gourd."

*S A o * j*

■R t £ £ £

& % 't ^ ^

f

i& I 3 3t & 4k

ft * f i %

H & ft A H

131

HE big dog's gone to the city,
The little dog's run away,
The egg has fallen and broken,

And the oil leaked out, they say,
But you be a roller,
And hull with power,
^ fa. v& %% >J> ^And I'll be a mill-
£ A Jfc i* # # stone

J£* 1 5 "** grind the flour.

132

SWALLOW'S NEST

S

AT, pat,

A swallow's nest we'll
make,

And it we pat some money out

We'll buy ourselves a cake.

M M -bk

ifc &3£

#t

JL

*33

THE LOCUST TREES

f*"""^

HE locust trees,
See how they grow

Here in their shade
We will have a show.

Other people's children
All have come,

*34

Is still at home.

Just as I speak,
She is coming
along,
Riding a donkey
And singing a
song.

Her parasol open
She holds in
her hand,
Her hair is done
up
In a neat little band.

I I 4 * *- # #

f « * 5 5 4

-* •*£ J&

# J- if*

135

afi

UjfiuiuiiiiJr*

THE WEDDING

EAT the drum, beat the drum,
We're coming in a chair,
Who will clear the way

m

For the girl that's coming here?
*9\ Ul ^ iL ^cat t^le drum, beat tne

ii^^S. drum>

% kL^ 4L See' the chair is coming'
>^t~i&^ Ho'rh ho! clear the wa^!

jl ^ jl Don't you hear the drum-

sL

ming

?

136

THE
PIG-STYE

N the top of a mount-
ain

There stands a pig-stye
And the lighting of parents
Has made the child cry.

Baby, baby,

Don't you cry,
Wait, and I'll whip

The old man by-and-by.

137

THK CAMEL-BACK BRIDGE

n

F vou chance to be cross-

y

in

^r

The camel-back bridge,
Each step leads you up

Till you come to the ridge.

138

The lantern-grass floats
On the pond like a sail,

The silver-fish bites
At the gold-fish's tail.

The big-bellied frog

Sitting there on the rock,
Keeps constantly calling

Wa'rh wa, wa'rh wa.

HZ

£» «* & ^T

^ "^ *** &
>& * $

»39

If

It

M.<#

?L

-t

<c $c

v> »1

J6 &

THK

SENSES

IL

ITTLE eyes see pretty
things,

Little nose smells what is
sweet,

Little ears hear pleasant sounds,

Mouth likes luscious things
to eat.

140

E turn the cake,
The cake we bake,
We put in oil, or pork, or steak
And when 'tis done,
We'll have some fun,
And give a piece to every one.

141

We will blow, blow,
blow,

To our sister's wedding feast

We will go, go, go.

142

Who will drive the cart?

My big brother;
Who will eat the feast?

A sister of my mother.

Who will pack her trunk?

My sister, whom you saw;
Who will light the hre?

Her own mother-in-law.

-% -%% if # *L %

*L *■ £ %- ** '4

& f & % &t %

\&> ^ ^ A M. *k

J& *fk ^k 4J- ^ *i

»43

CZL

ROAST PORK

OAST, roast,
Roast pig meat,

The second pot smells bad,
^1 ^ J^ ^g The big pot is sweet;

i 4.

^_ Jl "4 f^ And

M% Come'

j$ Mrs. Wang,

eat pig

44

Here's a turnip
for you and me,
Here's a pitch-
er, we'll go to
town,

Oh, what a pity we've fallen down;

What do you see in the heavens bright?

1 see the moon and the stars at night;

What do you see in the. earth, pray tell?

I see in the earth a deep, deep well;

What do you see in the well, my dear?
*L#L&>&K^% x J see a frog, and his
^ik&n$i voice I hear;
««55iflwhati.he.ayingth

ere

feiij^fr- A *~ Get up, get up; ke rh

fa- jf 4h

4 ^

on the rock?
* up, get up;
kua, ke'rh kua.

HS

THE

MISCHIEV-
OUS

SISTER-
IN-
LAW

o

H the pumpkin red, oh the
gourd decayed,

I am my father's mischievous maid;
I am my brother's dear little sister;
I am my sister-in-law's fly-blister.
Father, when I marry, what will you

give ?
A box and a ward-robe you shall

receive.

146

Mother, when I marry, what will you

bring ?
A little work-basket full of everything.
Brother, when I marry, what will

come from you ?
A fancy cloth towel; think that will

do?
My happiness, sister, you will not mar?
I'll give a broken bottle and a little

smashed jar,
And send you, you nuisance, away

very far.

jK t& M ^l j&

A
A*

$LZ

H7

BUY-
ING
A
LOCK

H,

here we

all go to

buy us a

lock,

What kind of a lock shall it be ?
We'll buy one of silver or buy one of gold.
But what shall we use as a key ?
We'll use a broom-handle; it that will

not do,
With a poker we'll try it alone;

, „ i ^^j >^a * But it neither the

S***^#«#£ broom nor the

&$% *% $ 0j?4 frfl £ poker will do,
* \^'^ ^ ^ We will open it
£ 5*4fr # *t then with a

stone.

FORCING THE CITY GATES

y? y?\E stuck a feather in his hat,

loll

And hurried to the town,

And children met him with a horse,
For the gates

■£ ri $> & ^ were

$> $% ^ ..%
4-

brok

en

[own.

149

lOME ON THE MOUNTAIN

N a very high mountain

A family dwell,
eir

isi 4 # # + %

Jl % & & eJ\ % of ten of thei

f ^ t i * °* ro°ms>

&£> <P ^ JL -fi Nine of them

**) 4fr **> ** %

f\ 7 fell.

150

The old man comes out

With a great deal of trouble;

His wife hobbles after,
Her body bent double.

Their three-legged dog

Is as thin as a rail,
And their rat-fearing cat

Is minus a tail.

i

anmufliifiin

*5T

¥

FAMILY NEEDS

OU'LL find whene'er the new
year come,

The kitchen god will want a plum;
The girls will want some flowers new,

The boys will want
some crackers, too;

A new felt cap will

# % -*i m

■&■ M -4k jf

f * -# i.

t I t m

*• A -f fc

*l +f ft it

Pi

ease

pap;

And sugar-cake will
please mama.

3

152

MY BOAT

M

Y boat is turned up at
both ends,
All storms it encounters

it weathers
On its body you'll find not

a board,
But covered all over with
feathers.

We daily re- load it with

rice.

i

ii ^ ** *

-sj- & # -at

'Tis admired by all
whom we meet,

You will find not a
crack in my boat,

But you'll find under-
neath it two feet:
A duck*

«53

GRANNY

CHANG

K

NOCKING, knocking, who's
at the door?
Old Granny Chang, and nothing
more.

Why don't you enter, granny, dear?
The dog will bite me, child, I fear.

What are you shaking there at

your feet ?
A string of garlic, good to eat.

What are you carrying under your

arm ?
An old fur cloak to keep me warm.

154

Why don't you put the cloak on,

granny ?
Fear the insects will bite me, sonny.

Why don't your husband kill such

a pest ?
My husband's gone t"o «-he land of

rest.

Where is the old man's burial spot ?
There, in the fire-place, under the pot.

Why don't you cry for your husband

true ?
Old pot! old pan!! old man!!!

boo-hoo !!!!

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155

BLIND MAN'S BUFF

PEACOCK feather
On a plum-tree limb,
You catch me,
And

I'll

catch

4l *k 4k**S

it It # #

4* ^ ^^

him.

A.

156

MM^uuHHyMHtiHHyyuyHtiUHUHHHHHyHyyyuHHym

H

E

V

E

T

O

E

' .«**,

w

/

j ^Jw^HMI

hmBmH WP^ t^tPjmtt'

W- wBf&smtiSA

Wl^&^ #1

^arafl

^* -j§PHHH|

HIS little cow eats grass,
This little cow eats hay,

This little cow drinks water,
This little cow runs away,

^ ii ii ij. ii l^This little cow does
*1 « f « *» « nothing,

<e> ^ -^r -4 j^ ^ But just lie down all
fcfcfc&fc day;

H^ ^T *<§ ^ *£,
01* ft * #f l^11 WHP heF-

A %* %*

157

SEVENTEEN HUNDRED BABIES

FOHttbN ivnoolunS LIBKARY
156 Fifth Avenue, New York

Printed in the United States

FOREIGN MISSIONS LIBRARY,

156 Fifth Avenue,
NEW YORK.

This card must always be presented
when taking out or returning a book.

The proper holder is responsible for
books drawn by means of this card,
and if lost must be replaced.

Books may be renewed by postal
card by giving number or name of
book, number of card and date when
book was taken out.

19.

.<3«

2
1.

The Most Fascinating
Mother Goose Book
of the Century

CHINE
MOTHER
GOOS
RHYMES

* 2>-$

V£/^ / 6 0 PAC£J
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